Here, Wendy presents an unreleased series of vases produced during her residency at the Cirva (international glass and visual arts research centre) in Marseille, where she has been researching glass moulding and casting for the past year and a half. In her approach, it is the process that transcends the function of the object and dictates the formal outcome: Wendy meticulously cuts and welds metal rigs, that act as moulds in which the glass is then blown. In parallel, she develops a colour scheme to test their aesthetic and technical compatibility, as some colour combinations do not allow for sufficient strength. As glass naturally behaves in ways that we cannot control, Wendy Andreu allows it to guide her creative process. She also experiments with forms and their subsequent patterns, as the latter warp according to the blower's breathing. Within this controlled environment, each piece is given a slice of freedom, allowing the material to express itself and generate this randomness from which the Squeeze series has emerged. Hence, each vase, born in a calibrated metal cage, is unique.

On the wall, new flowers echo the floral pedestals. Using her 'Regen' textile manufacturing technique, Wendy Andreu manages to produce tapestries free of any waste. In this case, she uses loom waste from Lartigues 1910, a Basque weaving company specialised in home textiles, to divert the material from its intended use. The threads, stemming from a controlled manufacturing process, are made for a precise weave but are redirected to trace their own path, drawing each and every petal in their wake.

In this Jardin Mécanique (mechanical garden), the process is brought to life and speaks for itself - moulding, shaping, and cutting unite to conceive an artificial nature. Industrial materials and techniques are reinterpreted and liberated to express the beauty and unpredictability of nature.

Pictures : Thierry Depagne